Method of and apparatus for feeding molten glass



K. E. PEILER Aug. 23', 19 352.

" METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FEEDING MOLTEN GLASS Original Filed y 1919 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 3 F I I I I P I I I H I HHHI I t Ex ATTO R N EV K. E. PEILER 1,873,022 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FEEDINC; MOLTEN GLASS Aug. 23, 1932.

Original Filed May 5, 1919 asheetysheet' 2 mm wm avvumhtoz Wan? (5x7? afl 'ozney K. E. PEILER Au 253, wsz.

METHOD 0F AND APPARATUS FOR FEEDING MOLTEN GLASS 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed May 5, 1919 9552:-immmwwfifi l LLL Fl. Ir

2 llllif f rilllllllnl iwinfl HF I I I I I H 12: lull I r|.r I

mtomec K. E. PEILER Aug. 23, 1932.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FEEDING mom nu amiss Original Filed 1919 ssheets-sne t ,5

attorney Aug. 23, 1932.

K. E. PEILER METHOD GRAND APPARATUS FOR FEEDING MOLTEN GLASS 8 Sheets-Sheet e Original Filed May 5, 1919 MS 93 @Q Q? lNVENTOR ATTO R N EV 23, '1932- I K. E. PEILER 1,873,022

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FEEDING MOLTEN GLASS Original Filed May 5, 1919 8 shets sh-eet 4 .46. 214 .42 2 QR" \wweawuzw v K. E. PEILER Aug. 23, 1932.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FEEDING MOLTEN GLAS S Original Filed May 5, 1919 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 49241 v v wentog,

Patented Aug. 23, 1932" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I KARL E. PEILER, OFWESEI! HARTFORD, CoNNECTICUT, ASSIGNOB, BY HESNE ASSIGN- HENTS,,T HARTFORD-EMPIRE COMPANY, A CORPORATION- OF DELAWARE i METHOD OF AND ABIPARATUS FbR FEEDING INIOL'JEEN GLASS v v Original application filed Kay 5, 1919, Serial No. 294,792. 'Divided and this application filed. November 6, 1926. Serial No. 146,831.

'ent filed This application is mainly a division of my copending application for Letters Pat- May 5, 1919, Serial 'No. 294,792 and is filed for the purpose of claiming certain E features disclosed in the original applica- 1 tween the shears which sever the glass tion particularly apparatus for controlling the shape of mold charges of molten glass,

produced and severed in suspension below a discharge outlet, by controlled interaction bethe glass that is being severed. Such controlled interaction between the shears and the glass may beproduced by raising the glass past the severing plane while the shears are cutting through the glass, by altering the cutting speed of the shears, causing the speed of the shear blades to change while they are passing through the glass, or by a combination of these operations.

This application is directed toapparatus for performing the method described and claimed in my .copending divisional application for Letters Patent, filed January 28,

1926, Serial No. 84,495.

Certain of the claims in this application are also readable upon my earlier application for Letters Patent filed December 4,1916, Serial No. 134,828, and therefore this application is to be considered as a continuation of that earlier application as to all subject matter common to the two applications Serial No. 134,828 and Serial No. 294,792. a

The present application 'is largely con: cerned with the shaping of the lower ends of the mold charges by causing the column of glass which connects each mold chargewith the parent body of glass to move ,upwardly during part or all of the time when the glass column is being severed. JBy' thusv causing the severing means to operate in coaction with the rising movement of the glass adjacent to the'severing means, the stub of glass which remains above the shears after severing is given a generally tapered, rounded or conoidal shape, and this severed and shaped stub forms the lower end of the next succeeding mold charge. Thiscoaction between the shears and the rising glass may be termed a whittling action, by analogy with,

and-

the whittling of the end of a wooden stick by means of a knife.

By varying the speed at whichthe column of glass is lifted, the speed at which the shears are advanced to sever the glass, the extent to which the shear-speed is retarded as the shears cut through the glass, the position at which the shears are set, or the relative timingof the lifting and shearing operations, or by combinations of these changes, a wide variety of shapes may be impart d, to the lower ends of the mold charges, and such shapes may be conoidal, rounded, shouldered or of which is similar in contour to themold cavity,

since the glass is then deposited in the mold with a minimum amount of settling. The lower portions of the cavities of glass molds are commonly more restricted than the body portions of the cavities, and the restricted lower portions have various shapes, some tapering more or less, others being rounded, and still-others beingformed with a shoulder and with a'bottomcavity of reduced diameter as compared with the remainder of the molding cavity. It will thus be seen that the lower ends of mold charges must be shaped in various ways in order to conform as closely as possible to this considerable variety of shapes atthe lower ends of the moldin'gcavities. The present application is concerned with the production of these end-shapes, and their v control.

charges. It has for its object the production of mold charges of suitable form and homothem from a supply of molten glass in a furnace or container, and before bringing their external surfaces intocontact with relatively cold molds orother supporting or formin means, and whereby. the form and size 0 such charges may be controlled and varied at will, and without destroying their uniform consistency b the unequal c illing action of external or re atively cold molds or other supports or forming means.

It is a prominent characteristic of molten 'glass, that when it issues or is withdrawn from the furnace or container, and is exposed to the colder surroundings outside of the furnace, it acquires a partially chilled surface or skin, known in this art as enamel. This enamel is coldest and stifiest-on its outer surface, and gradually merges into the hot and more plastic interior of. the glass. When a charge of this glass is delivered to a mold, any undue stretching, rupture, or infolding of the enamel will cause defects in the article being made. Any tapping of air by the lass, due "to lapping or folding of the surace of the glass as it is delivered to the molds will also causedefects. To avoid these defects it is desirable to preform the mold charge, before it enters the mold, so that its external contour will closely approximate the interior contour of the mold walls, or at least that portion of the mold which receives the gather. This is of special importance in the making of blown glassware. A mdld charge which is to form a narrow necked bott-le, for exam 1e, should be preformed as an elongated cylinder, so that its entire surface may as nearl as possible contact equally with the mol walls for the same length of time. Unequal contact of different ortions of the surface, or unequal duration 0 contact 'of the different portions tends to produce an unsymmetrically chilled. and enameled blank or parison, which will notblowoutuniformly, because the hotter portions will stretch more than the cooler portions, resulting in a poor bottle having a wall of uneven thickness.

These conditions have evidently been rec ognized to some extent by the hand gatherer, practicing his ancient art, who by man1pula-' tion of his punty or.gathering rod during the gathering operation preformed his gather or'mold charge, as well "as 'hecould 'by this primitive method, to fit the mold or that por tionof the mold that receives the gather,

'thus'attempting to avoid undue deformation of the mo d' charge when deposited in the m ld. On the other hand, these conditions have received little or no attentionin the,

tofore practiced by machine or other automatic methods. I

The present invention accomplishes this preliminary shaping of mold charges with greater ease and exactness than heretofore by the adjustable operation of suitable impelling means coacting with an orifice below which the mold charges are accumulated and suspended, and it employs the elongation of the suspended charges in controlling their 7 shape. It also makes use of coaction between the impelling means and suitable severing means, convenient adjustments being provided to allow control of the severing means 8 to and impelling means as to relative time of operation, speed and position.

Various adjustments of the -impelling means as well as of the severin means to control and vary the formv oft e gathers and mold charges durin continuous operation,

as operating adjustare herein describe ments, that is they may be made while the machine is in o eration, thus allowing the maintenance of t e flow of glass and the uni- ,ratus. Stopping of the, machine to make adjustments would stop the flow of glass and would have the effect of allowing the glass to chill near the outlet and of changing the heat conditions. As a result, the operatmg conditions would be changed so that the immediate efiect of the adjustments could not be observed and employed as a guide in making. these adjustments. In the present invention, on the other hand, these adjustments may be made while the apparatus is operating so that the progressive eifect of these adjustments may be observed while they are being made, thus giving better control of the operation. 1

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a general front elevation of the apparatus with the lower part or base omitte Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine, 1 shown partly in section, made approximately along line 2-2 of Fig. 1, with the shear -m echanism omitted, and showing the glass Fig. 5 is a plan. view in section along the v3 .line 5-5 of Fig.7..

Fig. 6 is a front elevation taken partly in section along line 66 of Fig. 7 of the center portion of the, machine and shows the im- 'peller, outlet and shear carriers, with the-1 right-hand shear. in place and the left-hand shear omitted Fig. 7 is a side elevation taken in section I along the center line of Fi 6 with the shear v mechanism omitted and ows the impeller 1 in the formation of drive connection and adjustments for stroke and position;

Fig. 8 is a front view of the right-hand shear carrier and shear blade.

, Fig. 9 is a plan View of the parts shown in Fig 8; j

Fig. 10 is a lan view in section taken on line 10-10 of F 1 8 Fig. 11 is an end elevation in section taken on line 11-11 of Fig. 8

Fig. 12 is a sectional elevation taken through the right-hand shear lever pivot of Fig. 1, and shows the adjustment for shear cutting speed;

Fig. 13 is a sectional plan along line 13-13 of Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 shows an elevation of the impeller driving cam with its driving gears;

Fig. 15 is a sectional elevation on line 15,-15 of Fig. 14;

Fig. 16 is a sectional elevation on line 16-16 of Fig. 14;

Fig. 17 is a bottom view of a section on line 17-17 of Fig. 14;

Figs. 18 and 19 are 'elevationsof the impeller cam partly in section similar to Fig. 15 showing extreme adjustments;

Fig. 20 shows a side elevation of the worm adjustment for the impeller cam;

Figsf21 and 22 show difi'erent shapes of cam lobes for the impeller cam; I

Figs. 23, 24, 25 and 26 show sectional elevations of various types of molds with charges of glass in them;

Figs. 27 to 31 inclusive are sectional elevations to illustrate steps in the formation of the mold charge shown in Fig. 23;

Figs. 32 to 36 inclusive are sectional eleva tions to show steps in the formation of the mold charge shown in Fig. 24;

Figs. 37 and 38 are sections showing steps the mold charge shown in Fig. 26; p j 7 Figs. 39 and 40 illustrate in section the actionof reducing the neck of a suspended gather before severing;

Figs. 41 to 45 inclusive are elevations, partly in section, showing steps in the for mation of-a more attenuated column of glass issuing as a stream;

Figs. 46 to 49 inclusive show various forms of impellers, and i Figs. 50 and 51 show diagrammatic rear elevations of the right-hand shearcam and roll.

The invention is herein shown embodied in a machine having the necessary mechanical movements and-adjustments, and cooperating with a conduit projecting from a glass furnace, from which the molten glass is thus v deliveredin mold charges to .an associated molding or shaping machine.

The molten glass flows from the glass furnace 1 through a channel or conduit 2 (Fig.

2) to an outlet 3. It is there acted upon by an.

impeller 13 mounted for vertical movement,

' and provided with various adjustments. As

separated mold charges fall upon a moistened chute 5 and slide upon it to the molds 6' mounted on the table 7 of the associated shaping machine (Fig. 5).

The channel 2 is made of refractory'material surrounded on the bottom and sides by heat insulation 11. At the outer end of the channel is an outlet spot 12, the interior of which is shaped so as to coact with the impeller 13. This spout is held in an iron frame or case14, which also serves ,as a retainer for the insulation 11, the spout being surrounded with insulation, except at the outlet 3.

The bed 15'is carried by the same foundation which supports the base of the machine.

It serves to support the channel 2 by means of intermediate refractory supports 10"and carries'two brackets 16 clamped thereto by screws 17 and which support the spout case 14. The brackets also carry set screws 18 which bear against projections on'the spout case and holdthe spout against the end of the channel. These screws may be adjusted to' allow for expansion and contraction of the channel and spout. The brackets also carry removable drip pans 20 for receiving the cooling water dripping from the shear blades 4 and from the sprays 21.

' Over the spout is a cover 22 ofrefractory material carried in a metal case 23 which also serves as a retainer for heat insulation 11, the metal plate 24 serving to keep the insulation in place. The plate 24 and cover 22 have. openings through whichthe-impeller projects. Back of this cover and over the channel is another refractory cover 25 formed so as to retain heat insulation 11 which is covered by a metal-plate 26 to keep it in place.

The channel and spoutare heated by suitable means, such as a gas burner 27, which projects through the side wall block 30. This burner is provided with air and gas .valves 31 for regulating the flame, which partly fills the space over the molten glass. The Prod nets of combustion are carried off .by the fire brick stack 32 .carried on refractory lintels 33, which bridge the channel and are'separated at their ends by refractory blocks. At

' the upper end of the stackis a damper 34 car The insulation acts to conserve the-heat, and

the radiation from the rear assists in heating the outlet end, thus tendin to maintain a uniform temperature throug out.

A gate 41 for regulating the glass flow is suspended by links 42 from arms 43 fast on the shaft 44 at each end thereof. The right-hand arm 43 bears a pointer 45 re istering with a scale 46 to indicate the setting spout may be maintained by adjustment of the gate.

Clamped against the outlet block or spout 12 is an outlet ring 52 (Figs. 6 and 7) made of refractory material. This ring is carried in a metal holder 53 hinged by an opensided bearing 54 to allow ready removal, on

a pivot 55 and is drawn up against an abutment by screws 56 (Fig. 5). Betweenthe outlet ring and the spout is a packing 57 of refractory clay. The object of this construction is to allow the size of the outlet to be changed at ,will by easy and rapid change of the outlet rings. In practice an outlet ring of the size desired is placed in the holder and covered with sufiicient plastic clay to form the packing 57. The holder is then hooked over thepivot 55 and drawn up against its alputment, squeezing the plastic packing into ace. p The frame of the machine is carried by the base 58 (Figs. 3, 4 and 5) and surrounds the channel and spout. The base carries columns 60 with suitable bearings at their upper ends to carry the drive shaft 61 and pivot shafts. The drive shaft may be driven by a pulley 62 (Fig. 1) as shown and may be I connected to a shaping machine by any suitable means for synchronizing its operations with those of this machine. The shaft 61 carries cams 63 for driving the shears and serves as a pivot for the impeller cams.

The shear blades '4 are notched as shown in Fig. 9. This allows them to enclose the glass and to constrict it on all sides as wellas The shank 64 of each blade is removably held to out it. For this reason, they act to separate the glass, partly by constriction and partly by cutting, thereby minimizing the shear mark on the severed glass.

The shear blades 4 are fastened to shanks 64 which are carried in adjustable heads or holders 65 (Figs. 8, 9, 10 and 11, which show the right-hand holder), by means of which the blades may be adjusted up, down and sidewise relatively to each other indto the outlet 3, so as to sever the glassat the desired position and to operate to thebest advantage.

in a vertical slide 66 split in its lower portion shown in Fig. 10 and may be adjusted up and down by means of the adjusting screw 72 by its hand wheel 73. The slide 66 may .be clamped in place in its guideway by the screw 74 and clamp 75. The cross slide 71, which carries the vertical slide and its adjustment fits in a guideway 78 (Fig. 8), and may be clamped in place by the screw 76 and clamp 77, thus'allowing the shear blades to be adj usted for transverse position and clam ed to place. The shear blades may be ad usted endwise by moving their shanks in and out in their holders, either for 'the proper initial settin or for a controlling adjustment, althoug a preferable operat ng adjustment is provided for this purpose. In this way the shear blades may be moved in three directions so as to bring them into proper relationship to the outlet and proper alignment with each other. To move the severing plane to a higher or lower level, both shear blades are adjusted up or down as desired, the proper cutting alignment between them being maintained by turning both hand wheels 73 the he carriers 80 are moved toward and away from each other by means of levers 82 carrying at their lower ends rollers 83 which engage with slots 84 in the carriers. The shear levers are pivotally mounted on studs 85 and 86 carried on the columns 60. The upper ends of the shear levers are provided with cam rollers 87 which are held by suitable springs 90 against the shear cams 63 which are fixed on the main shaft 61, the cams being shaped to move the shear blades to and from each other to out 01f the successive mold charges when formed. 1

The shears may be stopped in their retracted positions without stopping the rest of the machine by moving the hand lever 91 to the position shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. This rocks the shaft 92 and transmits the motion to shaft 93 by means of bevel sector 94 and bevel gear 95. This shaft carries two cams 96 against which bear the rollers 97 carried by the slides 98 so that the rocking of the shaft 93 raises or lowers them. These slides 'are connected by means of connecting rods 100 with the arms 101 which are pivoted on the studs 85 and 86 with the shear levers 82.

These arms bear against the lower side of the shear lever extensions 102. In this way the position of the hand lever 91, the arm 101 will be swung down and the shears will be allowed to resume normal operati0n.- The hand lever 91 may be locked in position by means of the latch 103 worked by a knob 104.

For controlling the shape of the lower ends 7 of the gathers, while the machine is in operation, an operating adjustment is provided'for increasing or lessening the rapidity with which the shear blades cut through the glass, by using earlier or later portions of the contour pf the shear cams (Figs. 50- and 51).

7 the eccentricity of one pivot stud 86 being set downwardly (Fig. 12) and the eccentric portion of the other pivot stud 85 being set upwardlyj This enables these eccentric pivotal supports for the shear levers to be adusted toward or away from each other. When adjusted toward each other the shear blades meet and sever the glass at an earlier period, at a time when the respective cam rolls 87 are in contact with a steeper or more inclined portion of the cam contour, as shown in Fig. 50, so that the severing operation is performed quicker, and therefore in shorter time, thus making a blunter ended gather. On the other hand, when the eccentric portions of the studs 85 and 86 are turned outwardly, the shear blades meet and severthe glass at a later period in their stroke at which time their respective cam rolls 87. en.-

gage with the. less inclined .contours of the shear cams 63, as shown in Fig. 51, thus severing the glass in a longer time, and therefore more slowly, and making amore pointed end on the gather. The dot and-dash tangent lines 105 in Figs. 50 and 51 show the relative steepness of the cam contour at the two cutting points. The pivotstuds 85 and 86 for the shear levers are turned'to utilize their eccentric movements by means of levers 106'(Figs. 1, 12 and 13), which are connected by a rod 107 so as to turn both pivot studs at the same time and to the same extent; but

on account of the oppositely arranged eccentricity of the studs, move the pivotalpoints of the levers in opposite directions.

' The connecting rod 107 may be adjusted for length by a right and left-hand threaded nut 108. One of the levers is provided with a handle 1.10 for turning the eccentrics.

. Thescale 111 is provided to, indicate the Y extent to which the eccentrics are. turned.

The scale is read in connection with the pointer 113 attached. to the eolumn'and may be clamped in any desired position by the screw 112.

The shear blades are cooled between successive severing operations by means of water sprays 21 (Figs. 1 and 6), supplied by pipes 114 and regulated by valves 115.- The water. from the sprays strikes the blades in their retracted positions and is finally caught by the drain pans 20 from which the water is drained away.

The impeller 13 for timing and controlling the extrusion and formation of the gathers is made of refractory clay and is guided for vertical movement into or through the outlet ring in a line concentric with this ring by the guide shafts 116 and 117 sliding in bearings 120 and 121 respectively which are formed in the spout case (Figs. 2, 6 and 7 The guide shaft 117 carries an arm 122 to which a split holder 123 carrying the impeller is detachably and adjustably secured radially in and out from the shaft 117 or swung about it and clamped in position to bring the point of the impeller into alignment with the outlet, thus compensating for warping of the impeller or for variation in different impellers. The shaft 117 also carries an arm in which the guide shaft 116 is fastened. The lower end of this shaft comes opposite the scale 127 fastened to the spout case. This scale is graduated to indicate the position of the lower end of the impeller relative to thelower side of the outlet ring. The impeller is clamped in its holder 123 by screws 128, and may be quickly exchanged for another impeller of any desired shape. Various shapes of impellers for different effects are shown in Figs. 45 to 48 inclusive.

The impeller and its carrier are suspended by the connecting rod 130 and its pivots 131 and 132 from the lever 133 pivoted at its hub 134 on the shaft 135. This lever carries an adjusting screw 136 bearing a hand wheel 137. The end of this adjusting screw bears against another lever 138 also pivotedat its hub 140 on the shaft 135, so that both levers are guided side by side between fixed collars. Thelever 138 has at its upper end a stud 141 carrying a cam roll 142 which is held against the impeller cam shown in outline at 143 in Fig. 7 by the weight of the impeller and ties of the two levers 133 and 138 may be varied. The efiect'of this is to raise and lower the workin range .of the-impeller movements. The impeller may also be held inactive in its upper position by turning the latch 144 carried by the lever 133 over the projection 145 carried by the shaft 146.

In addition to the height adjustmentabove described, the connecting rod 130 is made adjustable by means of a turn buckle, provided with right and left-hand screw threads at its opposite ends, and connecting the upper and lower portions of the connecting rod. Check nuts are provided to clamp the parts tightly after the desired adjustment has been made. By'turning the turn buckle, the connecting rod 130 may be lengthened or shortened and the working range of the impeller loweredor raised, as desired. This adjustment may be used in place of, or in addition ous forms of gathers by operatingthe severends, and with flanges 154 and 155 at their ing means only.

The length of stroke of the impeller may be varied b sliding the pivot 131 of the connecting ro 130 in the slot 147 provided in the lever 133. This changes the effective length of the lever. This pivot 131 isprovided with a nut by means of which it may.

be clamped in any desired position as indicated by graduations along the slot 147 to give the impeller the desired length of stroke.

The impeller cam is composed of several parts, as shown in Figs. 15 to 19 inclusive. The sleeves 150 and 151 are loose on the main drive shaft 61 and are provided with bevel gears 152 and 153 respectively at their'outer inner ends. These flan es form part of the cam surface and also hold removable cam lobes 156 and 157 which serve to govern the rise and fall of the impeller respectively. The lobe 156 which raises the impeller, is

carried by the right-hand flange 155 and is removably secured to it by clamp screws 158 which enter the slots-160 therein and serve to locate the lobe. The left-hand flange 154 carries the lobe 157 which governs the fall of the impeller. This lobe is also detachably secured to the flange 154 by means of clamp screws 161 which enter the slots 162 therein and thus locate the lobe. By this arrangement the two cam lobes can be revolved about the shaft independently of each other, so that their angularposition relative to each other and around shaft may be varied within certain limits. For instance Figs. 14 to 17 inclusive show the lobes set 17 degrees apart, while Fig. 18 shows them set close together.

which in turn drive the bevel gears 152 and 153, thus rotating the sleeves 150 and 151 with their cam parts, respectively. The pinions are mounted for rotation on holders 167 (Fig. 20) whichare' revolubly mounted on the main shaft 61 and provided with worm wheel sectors 170. These sectors are engaged by worms 171 (Fig. 20) carried on shafts 172 which are provided with hand wheels 173 and 174 respectively. By revolving the hand wheels, the pinion holders 167 are rotated about the shaft 61, thus moving the sleeves 150 and, 151 relative to the driving gears 163 and 164, respectively. This has the effect of angularly advancing or retarding the sleeves 150 and'151 bearing the cam lobes 156 and 157. In this manner, the lobes may be set to act at any desired time relative tothe shears and to each-other. By turning the These right-hand wheel 174, the right-hand sleeve .151 is advanced or retarded, thus advancing or retarding the cam lobe 156 by which the impeller is raised. By turning the left-hand hand wheel 173, the cam lobe 157 which governs the fall of the impeller is advanced or retarded. By properly turning both hand wheels the same amount, both lobes as a whole may be advanced or retarded. correspondingly changing the time of the impeller opera tions relative to the time of the shear operations In this manner, the various characteristics of the impeller action may be varied, and

its operating periodmay be advanced or retarded relative to the severing operation. For visibly indicating these adjustments of the impellercams, the shafts 172 are provided with gear teeth meshing with teeth on the indicator dials 175 which register with the pointers 180. V

One effect of advancing or retarding the cam lobe 156 by which the impeller is raised,

is to make the up'-stroke of the impeller earher or later relative to the severing operation. The rapidity of the rising movement of the impeller during the severing operation may thus be varied by taking advantage of the contour of the cam lobe 156 which is preferably shaped to give a gradually increasing speed to the impeller during the first part of its up-stroke. By advancing the cam lobe 156 relatively to the shear cams, the impeller may be made to rise more rapidly during severing, and by retarding this lobe, the impeller may be made to rise more slowly during severing. This cam lobe may also be set so that the imtially or entirely completed.

The characteristics of the impeller stroke may be still further altered by substituting other cam lobes which provide a rise or fall of any desired character. The cam lobes 176 and 17]- shown in Fig. 21, for instance, give a rise and-fall extending over a longer period thanthose in Fig. 15. The lobes 178 and 179 shown in Fig. 22 give a quicker rise and fall than those shown in Fig. 15. These lobes are arranged so as to be readily changed by simply loosening the clamp screws which are carried by the lobes, and substituting other lobes.

The chute is formed of porous material, such as carbon, and is placed in a sloping position as shown in Fig. 2, with its upper end under the outlet 3 to receive the separated mold charges, and with its lower end over the mold charging station of the shaping machine,'as shown in plan in Fig. 5. The chute is supplied with water through a flexible tube 181 which connects with a recess 182 (Fig. 6) formed in the upper end of the chute. A valve 183 regulates the water supply. Suflicient water is supplied to moisten the chute. When the glass falls on the chute, thev water is turned to steam where the glass touches it, so that the glass slides freely and rapidly down the chute on a film of steain and drops into the mold 6. The chute is supported on vertical pivots so mounted that it may be swung out of or into the glass-receiving position to interrupt or begin the delivcry of the mold charges to the molds, as desired. lVhen the chute is swung out, the

' glass drops through an opening in the base 58 into a suitable receptacle.

In operation, the gate 41 is raised to the proper point to maintain the desired head of glass over the outletand the machine is set in motion, reciprocating the impeller and the shears. The molten glass issues from the out let under the combined influence of gravity and the action of the impeller, which times and controls its accumulation in gathers which are successively suspended from the outlet ring and from the impeller end. For each complete reciprocation of the impeller there is a reciprocation of the shears which severs a mohi charge from each suspended gather. After each severing operation the freshly cut end or stub remaining below the outlet, and forining the lower end of the succeeding gather,.is move-d upwardly, or its downward movement is retarded, by the action of the impeller.

By using appropriate sizes of outlet ring and impeller, and by proper setting of the various adjustments, the shape of the top, body, and lower end of the mold charge may be varied separately at will as hereinafter described.

The size of the outlet ring is chosen with relation to the general shape of the body of the mold charge, a smaller diameter outlet the diameter of the gather to the outlet size depends partly onthe speed of the machine and the viscosity of the glass, as these influence the elongation and consequent reduction in diameter of the glass column issuing from the outlet. In general a higher speed requires a larger outlet than a slower speed does, while greater viscosity requires a larger outlet than a lower viscosity would.

The size of the impeller end depends to a certain extent on the size of the outlet used. since the impeller and outlet coact to produce efi'ects hereinafter described. The larger the outlet, the blunter the end of the impeller may be, other conditions being equal. The size of the impeller end also depends on the general shape of the mold charge desired. For a short compact charge a blunt-er ended impeller is preferably used, while fora more elongated charge a more pointed impeller is preferred.

The weight or quantityof the mold charge may be regulated by the gate, which deter- Raising the gate gives a heavier charge and lowering it decreases the weight of the a charge." v

The impeller acts upon the glass partly by displacement and partly by adhesionof the glass to it. Consequently, as the impeller moves downward it gives a downward or extrusion impulse to the glass issuing from the outlet. This extrusion impulse aids the gravity head at the outlet and increases the rate of'discharge of the glass. As the impeller moves upward it gives an upward or intrusion impulse to the glass within and below the outlet. This intrusion impulse opposes the gravity head at the outlet, tending to retard the discharge of glass from the outlet, and may be made to reverse the motion of the glass within andbelow the outlet, raising it up to an extent depending on the extent and strength of the impulse. The impeller also furnishes part of the support for the glass below the outlet, this support being greatest when the impeller protrudes below the outlet and less for higher positions of the impeller. As the impeller rises it gradually withdraws this support, transferring more of the weight of the suspended grass to the out let. Another effect of projecting the impeller below the outlet is to enlarge the neck of the suspended gather by the displacement. This to increase the diameter of thesuspende'd and elongating glass, in proportion to the-extent and strength of the impulse. By adjusting the hand wheel 173 to advance the cam lobe 157, the extrusion impulse comes earlier which tends to increase the diameter of the body of the gather rather thanthe diameter of the 7 upper end only. By retarding the impulse it tends to enlarge only the upper end of the w gather. Increasing the extent of the downward impulse, which may be done by ion gth- .ening the impeller stroke, tends to enlarge more of the'gather, as for instance both the body and the upper end. The strength of the impulse may be varied by varying the working position and size of the im eller and by varying the character of its ownward stroke. A lower position tends to give a stronger impulse and vice versa. A larger or blunter impeller also gives a stronger impulse. By changing the cam lobe 157, the character and duration of the downward stroke and therefore of the extrusion impulse may be varied. A faster downward stroke-- of shorter duration increases the strength of the impulse but applies it locally'to a more limited portion of the gather. The decrease in diameter of the gather due to its elongation by gravity may thus be compensated for to any extent. By shaping the cam lobe so as to increase or decrease the relative speeds of the downward stroke at different parts of this stroke a variety of effects may be secured, a1- lowing more varied control of the shape of the gather. In this manner by use of the proper parts.- and by proper setting of the various'adjustments the shape of the body and upper end of the gather and its resulting mold charge may be varied. 9 By turning the hand wheel 17 4 and setting the cam lobe 156 to raise or reverse the glass adjacent to the outlet while the shears are I severing, the upward or intrusion impulse of f the impeller, 'coacting with the constricting and severing action of the shears may be used to vary the shape of the lower end of the gather and its resultant mold charge. The contour of the cut glass surface may be varied by varying the cutting speed of the shears as previously described so thatthe shape of the stub and therefore of the end of the succeeding mold charge maybe controlled. By having the shears cut as quickly as possible during the raising of the stub, a blunt ended stub is obtained. By having them cut more slow- 1y, .as the glass forming the stub is raised by the intrusion impulse, a more pointed stub is obtained. The-raising speed of the glass may also be varied by advancing or retarding. the intrusion impulse and taking advantage of the gradual increase in upward speedof the impeller during its stroke due to the shape of the cam lobe'156. This is similar to the de scribed, manner of varyingthe shear speed during severing. By setting the cam lobe 156 so that the impeller does notrise until after the shear blades have entered the glass a (Figs. 37, 38). This shoulder initial formation of the stubby cooperation between the intrusion impulse and the shears has already been described. The further elongation, due to its weight, of the stub and of the portion of the gather above the stub may be varied or its effect may be compensated for by varying the character of that part of the up-stroke taking place after severing. For instance, by retarding the discharge of the glass the lower part of the gather may be allowed to elongate before the remainder of the gather is allowed to form. This elongation decreases the diameter of the elongated part. By diminishing the retardation and allowing a greater discharge of the glass, the lower part of the gather may be increased in diameter. Increasing the length of-the impeller stroke increases the extent of the intrusion impulse. The strength of this impulse may also be increased by lowering the working position of the impeller.

The character and duration of the stroke may also be varied by changing the cam lobe 156. A faster up-stroke increases the strength of the intrusion impulse but applies it to a more-limited portion of the gather by'shortening its duration. By formin the cam lobe to change the relative spee s at different portions of the up-stroke, various effects may be secured.- For instance, the first part of the up-stroke may be made fast enough to secure the proper sha e of stub .while the remainder of the stro e maybe made to give any desired retardation to the glass. Thus the impeller might be held 'stationary for a certain period, before completing-the remainder of the up-stroke. This gives a varied control over the shape of the gather, and especially over'the shapeof its lower. portion.- I

One effect of raising the glass belo the outlet during and immediately after the severing operation is to keep it out of contact with all parts of the shear blades except theimmediate cutting edges.- This minimizes the chilling of the glass from'the relatively colder shear lades and also "aids in' keeping the blades cooler. It is therefore preferable to operate this. device with such adjustments as, will allow the cut surface of the glass to be raised clear of the shear blades during and after severing. 1

gather.

16 part of the gather especially.

By raising or lowering the shears they may be made to sever the lass at a higher or lower level,'leaving a s orter or longer stub 1rfifslpectively. This length of stub has an uence on the length of the gather. A longer stub tendsto elongate the gather and a shorter stub tends to produce a shorter This influence extends to the lower By properly combining all the variable adjustments and allowing for or making use of the elongation and decrease of, diameter of the gather during. its accumulation and suspension, the shape of the gather and its resulting mold charge may be varied to suit various types of molds to which the mold charge is to be delivered. Some examples of this variation are shown in Figs. 23 to 26 which represent various molds containing mold charges which have just been delivered to them. Fig. 23 for instance, shows a blank mold for a narrow neck bottlewith a gradually sloping shoulder. It is a mold of the type in which the: blank is formed in an inverted position, the formed blank being reverted for blowing to final 'form. The mold charge for this mold is largest at the upper end, tapering down gradually toward the lower end, being nearly a frustum of acone. Thischarge fits the mold closely, tend-- ing to form a good blank when the forming pressure is applied. Fig. 24 shows a press mold in which a tumbler is to be pressed. The mold charge for this mold is made chunky and compact, so as to settle down and fill thelower end of the mold as soon as possible after delivery. This allows the pressing plunger to act on the glass to the best advantage. Fig. 25 shows a blank mold for a wide mouth bottle of cylindrical form. The mold charge for this is made as nearly cylindrical as possible so that it fits the mold closely and quickly fills out the lower portion of the mold when the forming pressure is applied. Fig. 26 shows a blank mold for anarrow neck bottle having an abrupt shoulder below the neck. The mold charge for this difi'ers from the mold charge shown in Fig.

25 by having an elongation or point 190 formed at its lower end to fit the neck portion of the mold. a

The steps in the formation of the mold charge required for .the mold of Fig. 23 are ,shown in Figs. 27 to 31 inclusive. A portion of the outlet block or spout is shown in section, with the outlet ring 52 below it. A me: dium sized impeller shaped at the end like Fig. 48 is shown. The shear blades 4 are shown diagrammatically and the arrows-beneath them indicate the direction of their the raising speed 0 the glass below the outlet are'set so as to shape the stubto give the desired shape to the end of the gather in connection with the elongation later given it.

speed of the shears and The shape of the cut resulting from this setting is shown in Fig. 31, where the shears have just completed severing. The'shape of this cut is the result ofthe motion of the shears combined with the upward motion of the glass imparted by the impeller moving upward during the cut. In Fig. 27 the stub is rounded out at the point 191 and is beginning to elongate. At the same time the entire stub has been raised into the outlet by the upward motion of the impeller, which is still moving upward to retard the glass. In

Fig. 28 the. impeller has reached its upper position and pauses there while the glass is discharging from the outlet to form the body.

of the gather. When the glass has assumed the shape shown in Fig. 28, the impeller starts to move downward, accelerating the' discharge oi glass through the outlet as it approaches its low position shown in Fig. 29. Here the upper end of the gather is shown swelled out by the accelerated discharge of and Fig. 31 while the upward motion of the the glass. The impeller remains in this low.

impeller raises the glass to form the point 192 of the stub by cooperation with the shears.

The steps in the formation of the mold charge shown in Fig. 24 are shown in Figs. 32 to 36 inclusive. The impeller for the compact charge desired is made blunter than in the previous example, being like that shown in Fig. 49. The outlet ring 52 is also made of a larger diameter, to give the necessary increased diameter of gather. The shears are set to sever more quickly so as to produce a stub which is blunt when rounded out, as shown in Fig. 32 where the impeller is moving upward. In Fig. 33 the impeller has reached its upper position and the 1 body of the gather is discharging through the outlet. The impeller then starts to move downward and is' shown still moving down- -ward in Fig. 34, having, by its downward impulse, swelled the gather as shown. This the impeller starts up immediately after.

swelling, action is continued by the contins ued downward motion of the impeller until reaching the position shown in Fig. 35. The

severing operation takes place between the positions shown in Figs..35 and 36.. The effect ofthe impeller cam' adjustment, both for character of the stroke and for relative time, is to continue swelling the gather until the severing operation, starts and then to allow a minimum time for elongation of the algatherbefore or during severing'so that a short compactspheroidal gather is produced.

is used, the one shown in ployed. The orifice ring is chosen of the 1 Figs. 37 and 38 illustrate the modifications employed to obtain: the mold char shown in ig. 26. Here a more ointe ig. 46 beingeme proper size to form the dy of the gather..

The shears are set lower down than in the first example, namely Figs. 27 to 31, to form a longer stub. They are also set for slower cutting speed than in this first example and the impeller is set to rise later to give the shapes of shoulder and point shown. The impellerstroke is set so as to allow the proper elongation of this point and after this to give a cylindrical body to the gather by the proper amount of additional impulse tothe operation starts, to form a reduced neck 193 ove the gather before it is severed. This gives an ap roximately pear-shaped gather. if: allso avoi the severing of a large column 0 ass.

igs. 41 to 45 inclusiveillustrate the delivery of mold charges at such speed and telfiperature that the glass issues from the on et in a more elongated column break g into a stream between interru tions. He the impeller is moving upward yxin Figs. 44, 45 and 41, having reached its u per position in Fig. 42. It then moves ownward to accelerate the 'flow of glass and'reaches the lower position in Fig. 43 after which it begins I to move upward again. The efiect is to, withto lapping and folding of the charge when 1 it sett v One of the advantages of the illustrateddraw or retract the stub of glass and interrupt-the downward flow as shown. It also tends to compact and round the end of the stream andvto make the mold charge as compact as ossible under the circumstances. It thus ai s in minimizing the difliculties due.

es m the mold.

embodiment ofthe invention over that type of glass feeding machine which employs a relatively large impeller or plunger, is in the more umform heat distribution in the mold charge. This desirable result, is obtained by the use of an impeller of comparatively small diameter which greatly reduces the Screen or shadow efiect of a larger impeller, which cuts off the direct radiation of heat from the furnace in the rear to the front of the foreimpeller hearth, and thereb produces a chilled zone on the frontof t e mold charge. 'By the use of a small impeller as described, this chillingl of the glass is reduced to a minimum an to all practical purposes entirely re-,

moved. Y I

- The organized machine shown and described herein as a preferred embodiment of this-invention is only one ofmany possible embodiments of the invention. It should be understood that the various features of the invention may be modified, both-in structure,

combination, and arrangement, to adapt the invention to difierent uses or different conditions of service.

I claim as my invention;

1. The combination with apparatus for severing molten glass into mold charges, of means or varying the speed of severing at will, without varying the frequency of the severing operations.

2. The combination with apparatus for severing molten glass into mold charges, of

cam actuated means for periodically operatin said severing apparatus, and means for adpistin said cam actuated operatmg means to vary t e speed of severing at will without varying the requency of the severingpperations.

' 3. Apparatus for feeding molten glass comprising a container for the glass having an outlet submerged by the glass in the container, means for controlling the discharge of glass throughsaid outlet to aid in produ and in shaping successive masses of discharged glass in suspension below the outcoo let, a pair 0 rative shear blades, means for operatin and shear blades to cause said blades peri 'cally to cut through said suspended mold charge masses before they receive any under support and thereby to aid in shaping end portions of the charges to suit portions of the cavities of molds to which the severed charges are to be delivered, and means operable at will, for ad ustmg said shear blade operating means to vary the eed at which the bla es will cut through theg ass without varying the frequency of the severing operations, whereby the shape of. said on portions of the mo d/charges may V be varied.

T4. Apparatus for feeding molten glass, comprising means for feedingmolten glass through a downwardly opening dlscharge outlet in successive suspended mold charge masses, cam actuated severing means for periodically cutti 'mold charges from said successive suspen ed masses, char e receivers successively positioned below said discharge outlet at a distance therefrom greater than the length of the suspended mold charge masses or receiving the severed charges, and means for adjustin said cam actuated severing means to vary t e of cutting of the mold charges to vary t e shape of the lower ends of such mold charges according to the shape of the lower ends of the cavities of the charge receivers.

5. Apparatus for feeding molten glass, comprislng means for feeding molten glass through a downwardly opening discharge outlet in successive suspended masses, a pair of cooperative shear blades, holders for said shear blades, levers swingable to actuate the holder to periodically close the shear blades below'the discharge outlet at a level spaced therefrom to cut through successive suspended mold charge masses and to open the blades inthe intervals between said severing operations, eccentrically mounted pivot elements constituting fulcrums for said levers, cams controlling the swinging movements of said levers and means for angularly adjusting-said eccentrically mounted pivot elements to vary the speed .at which said shear blades will cut through the suspended mold charge masses, whereby the shape of the lower ends of the severed charges may be varied.

6. Apparatus for feeding molten glass, comprising means for feeding the glass through a downwardly opening discharge outlet in successive suspended masses, a pair of cooperative shear blades adapted to close beneath the outlet to sever mold charges from the suspended masses of glass and to be opened in the intervals between said severing operations, cam actuated means for operating said shear blades to cause said shear blades to cut through the suspended glass at a speed that decreases during each severing operation, and means foradjusting said cam actuated means to vary the rate of decrease of said speed of cutting and thereby to vary the shape of the lower ends of the severed mold charges.

7. The method of feeding molten glass in mold charges of predetermined controlled shape which comprises discharging glass through a downwardly opening outlet and suspending the discharged glass in successive masses below the outlet. severing mold charges from the suspended glass by periodi-v cally closing a pair of shear'blades so as to cut through each suspended mass, and varythereby aids in controlling the shape of lower ends of severed mold charges.

I 9. The method of feeding molten glass 1n mold char es of predetermined controlled shape whic comprises periodically discharging molten glass downwardly throu h an outa let past a severing plane spaced elow the particular shape of the lower ends of severed charges by changing the rate of said decrease of speed during the severing operation.

Signed at Hartford, Conn, this 26th day of October, 1926.

KARL E. PEl'LER.

ing the speed at which said shear blades cut through the suspended glass to vary the particular shape of the lower ends of severed mold charges.

s. The method of feeding molten glass in i mold charges of predetermined controlled shape which comprises periodically dischargmg molten glass downwardly through an outlet past a severing plane spaced below the out-' let, suspending the discharged glass in successive masses below the outlet, and severin mold charges from said successive suspends masses by causing cooperative Shear blades to cut through the glass at a speed that decreases during the severing operation and 

